Fleishman-Hillard’s Sustainability blog publishes a roundup of compelling stories from traditional media and blogs that straddle the nexus of sustainability, energy policy, and corporate social responsibility. Inclusion of stories does not translate into endorsement of any particular opinion or technology over another.

Western U.S., Canadian Carbon market Faces Scaled-Back Start (via Bloomberg)

The Western Climate Initiative will likely start out smaller than envisioned because most states in the initiative won’t be able to enforce the cap-and-trade program when it starts in 2012.

Australia gives green light to first smart grid (via BusinessGreen)

A commercial-scale smart grid demonstration project has been approved in Australia to begin operation later this year.

Renewables revolution to provide 95 percent of global electricity by 2050 (via BusinessGreen)

The world could produce 95 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2050, cutting greenhouse emissions by 80 percent.

UK Solar Market to Increase 5x This Year and 30x by 2015? (via CleanTechnica)

Feed-in tariffs may create a significant boost for the United Kingdom’s solar energy market.

EPA Swings Open Doors of Energy Star for Data Centers (via Earth2Tech)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced data centers can qualify for the Energy Star label if they rank in the top 25 percent of their peers in the agency’s rating system.

Will Fanny and Freddy Stop PACE? (via Greentech Media)

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two of the largest national lenders, hinted that property owners with mortgages from them could be prohibited from participating in PACE green retrofit programs.

BP’s $93 Million Tab (via Mother Jones’ Blue Marble)

Federal authorities have warned the government may run out of money for the Gulf oil spill disaster response unless BP reimburses it for funds already spent.

Sen. Schumer Sees Climate Bill Reaching Floor as Amendment to Energy-Only Measure (via New York Times)

Even though the U.S. Senate is expected to consider energy legislation this year, it may only consider climate regulation as an amendment, limiting its’ potential scope.

NM high court: Emissions cap proposal may proceed (via Yahoo! News)

New Mexico has resumed consideration on establishing a greenhouse gas emission cap system in the state.

Major Vegetation Shifts Occurring Because of Warming (via Yale’s Environment 360)

Global warming is causing large shifts in vegetation across the globe, with trees and plants moving toward the poles and up mountain slopes.

Fleishman-Hillard’s Sustainability blog publishes a roundup of compelling stories from traditional media and blogs that straddle the nexus of sustainability, energy policy, and corporate social responsibility. Inclusion of stories does not translate into endorsement of any particular opinion or technology over another.

US projects 4 percent emissions rise by 2012 to UN (via Associated Press)

The Obama administration’s first major climate report to the UN projects national greenhouse gas emissions will grow by 4 percent through 2020.

US start-up debuts gas-powered wind turbine (via BusinessGreen)

A new hybrid wind turbine and biogas or natural gas generator back-up system could help solve the intermittent nature of wind energy.

Data Starts Coming In For Supply Chain GHG Standards Testing (via ClimateBiz)

Sixty companies from 17 countries are taking part in a new pilot test to develop data and standards for supply chain greenhouse gas accounting.

After a blow-out U.S. April, a record-busting May (via Climate Progress)

Heatwaves are setting new temperature records in the U.S. and across Asia.

National Semi develops chip for ‘smart’ solar panel (via CNET’s Green Tech)

A new technology may enable “smarter” solar panels that even out energy flow and report each panel’s output via the Internet.

Coal Use and CO2 Emissions Projected to Rise by More than 50% by 2035 (via The Energy Collective)

International coal use and CO2 emissions are forecast to rise more than 50 percent by 2035.

China’s carbon intensity targets, debunked (via Financial Times’ Energy Source)

Even though China has vowed to reduce its carbon intensity, the actual level of carbon emissions may increase by 2020.

Can business and sustainability mix? Summit aims for answers (via Greenbang)

A business sustainability summit hosted by the Prince of Wales will explore multiple themes in sustainability policy this fall.

Investors Urge More Tech Firms to Follow Intel’s Lead and Embrace Green (via GreenerComputing)

A socially responsible investing firm has launched bylaw amendments at three of the world’s largest technology companies after they were removed from a sustainable stock index.

Install Power Management Software on PCs and Get Paid (via Greentech Media)

Utilities are starting pilot programs to give large businesses financial incentives to install energy management software on computer systems to reduce power demand.

Poll: Support for wider drilling drops but majority still in favor (via The Hill’s E2 Wire)

Public backing for expanded offshore oil-and-gas drilling has weakened by still has majority support across the country.

NASA satellite image reveals record low snow for the United States (via Mongabay)

Satellite images reveal North American snow cover is at the lowest-ever extent since record keeping began in 1967.

Feds Launch Criminal Probe Into BP Spill (via Mother Jones’ Blue Marble)

The U.S. Department of Justice announced a criminal probe into the BP Gulf oil spill.

Can We Do Better at Managing Rare, Big Risks? (via New York Times’ Dot Earth)

The Gulf oil spill has raised questions about the ability to manage large man-made risks.

A Bullish View of Wind Power Out West (via New York Times’ Green)

The power grid for five western states could accommodate as much as 30 percent wind and 5 percent solar without extensive new infrastructure.

Carbon market players say open to self-policing (via Reuters)

European carbon market players announced they will consider developing self-policing rules after the UN’s climate chief criticized the trading scheme.

In Wake of Gulf Spill, Louisiana Moves on Renewable Energy (via Solve Climate)

Legislation proposed since the Gulf oil spill began would promote alternative energy and establish a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard in Louisiana.

Fleishman-Hillard’s Sustainability blog publishes a daily roundup of compelling stories from traditional media and blogs that straddle the nexus of sustainability, energy policy, and corporate social responsibility. Inclusion of stories does not translate into endorsement of any particular opinion or

Bulgaria cashes in on wind energy gold rush (via BusinessGreen)

Bulgaria has announced it will build a 140 MW wind farm with a targeted completion date of 2013.

China faces up to summer energy crunch (via BusinessGreen)

China has announced it may face power shortages this summer due to high coal prices and a drought in one of the country’s main hydropower-producing regions.

India to Launch Climate Adaptation Fund for South Asia (via Clean Technica)

India has announced a fund to assist South Asian countries adapt to the effects of climate change.

Senior military leaders announce support for climate bill (via Climate Progress)

Thirty-three generals and admirals announced they support the Senate climate legislation.

Greenpeace lauds Cisco on climate, chides Google (via CNET’s Green Tech)

Cisco and Ericsson have received top marks in a Greenpeace ranking of computer vendors’ activity on climate change issues.

Cape Wind decision may take green power national (via Grist)

The Cape Wind project’s approval may stimulate a rush of offshore wind proposal approvals along the East Coast.

New study: Biodiversity Continues to Decline Worldwide (via The Nature Conservancy)

International species continue to decline across all habitats on Earth, despite an international commitment in 2002 to reduce the rate of losses by 2010.

Climate bill analysis to take up to eight weeks:EIA (via Reuters)

The U.S. Energy Information Administration will take up to eight weeks to analyze the Senate climate bill’s potential impact.

Which city has most efficient offices? Survey finds wide gaps (via USA Today’s Green House)

U.S. office buildings are largely inefficient, says a new survey of office workers in 16 major cities.

Department of Commerce Releases Data on Emissions, “Green Economy” (via Washington Post’s Post Carbon)

The U.S. Commerce Department has released two studies to help guide climate change policy decisions, one showing emissions by source and a second estimating the potential size of the U.S. green economy.

COP15 has come and gone… leaving behind a bad taste for some and a grain of hope for the others.  But no matter which of those two groups you belong to, outside of your window the movement toward more sustainable world continues.

The Information Technology is only one area of industry that is in full focus right now in the US. Just recently, the government and private sectors announced a $115 million dollars investment into 14 IT projects that would work on improvement of energy efficiency in the following areas:

• IT equipment
• Software
• Power supply chain and cooling

IT equipment and software projects will focus on servers and networking devices and how they can be optimized in order to be more energy efficient. Power supply chain projects will look at how to “minimize power loss and heat generation that occurs in server-based IT systems.” The cooling projects will focus on improvement of cooling equipment in order to use less energy.

From $115 million claimed, $47 million is coming from the U.S. Department of Energy. The following is a breakdown of how the funds will be distributed among IT companies based on their areas of specialty:

Funding for IT equipment and software projects will go to:

• SeaMicro Inc. – $9.3 million
• IBM T.J. Watson Research Center - $1.6 million
• Alcatel-Lucent, Bell Labs – $300,000
• California Institute of Technology – $300,000

Funding for power supply chain projects will go to:

• Hewlett-Packard Company – $7.4 million
• Power Assure, Inc – $5 million
• Columbia University – $2.8 million
• Lineage Power Corporation – $2.4 million
• BAE Systems – $222,000

Funding for cooling projects will go to:

• Yahoo! Inc. – $9.9 million
• Edison Materials Technology Center – $2.8 million
• IBM T.J. Watson Research Center – $2.3 million
• Alcatel-Lucent – $1.8 million
• Federspiel Controls, Inc. – $584,000

So if you, like so many, feel that the Copenhagen summit took away our last hope for change – think again. The only reason we didn’t reach the new treaty is because the countries couldn’t agree on the financial and legislative commitment toward each other at this time. But, that doesn’t mean that the commitments don’t exist on the national level, as we can see with the US – they just need to be re-thought and re-engineered in order to fit into the international level, as well. Once countries are clear on what they can do inside their own borders, they will become clearer on what they can offer between international borders, as well.

So, let’s just keep going.

Contrary to iconic images of smokestacks and sooty factories, the world’s complex computer infrastructure is fast becoming one of the greatest carbon emitters. By 2020, global IT will reach about 3 percent of carbon emissions, accounting for “1.54 metric gigatons, or twice what the United Kingdom produces today,” according McKinsey & Co.

Where is this intense energy consumption and carbon emission coming from? Look to everything from your home computer and cell phone to the vast telecommunications networks and data centers that make the Internet work.

In the coming years, technology will work its way into more parts of our lives, making the possibility of turning back our insatiable demand unlikely. Fortunately, with this demand are great economic opportunities—by optimizing our use of technology, we can find efficiencies, cutting as much as 7.8 metric gigatons a year, McKinsey reported.

Companies like AT&T, a Fleishman-Hillard client, are looking forward and creating partnerships with energy providers to begin roll out of smart grids, where energy usage can be efficiently monitored and delivered.

Other tech innovators like Microsoft and Google are bringing energy savings to the world of cloud computing—creating remote systems that can grow and shrink computing power depending on need, conserving energy.

While innovative small and large companies will help lead us into a more efficient and sustainable future, regular users of technology can do their part. Check out this great podcast from Northwestern University for tips on how you can green your tech experience.